"I Don't Wanna See You with Her" has been A-listed on Norwegian radio station NRKP1 (full lists for NRKP1 are here: nrk.no/emne/a_-b-og-c-lister-2016-1.12733945), this radio station is among the biggest national Norwegian radio stations, which has a lot of listeners in the age range 30 and up. (NRKP3 is the radio station that aims to reach out to a younger audience.) I think that might explain why "I Don't Wanna See You with Her" re-entered the Norwegian single charts this week.

Today Maria posted that she will travel to Germany to promote and she replied to Carina that she will visit Berlin, Frankfurt, Baden Baden & Ulm & Dusseldorf but later deleted the reply (Here's the picture: instagram.com/p/BAxRiDFxeGR/?taken-by=mariamena_official). I will be looking forward to it.

According to this tweet: twitter.com/Lindacath/status/699949728121880576 by the Norwegian Minister of Cultural Affairs Linda Hofstad Helleland Maria was rewarded with Norsk Artistforbunds ærespris (Norwegian Artists and Songwriters Association is their English name) - they rewarded Maria with the Honorary Award (ærespris). Other well-known Norwegian artists like Marit Larsen, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Anne Grete Preus, Jan Eggum and Kaizers Orchestra (and more, too) have received this award in the past. According to Wikipedia the award is given to someone who has made a considerable effort to promote Norwegian music. Here's another picture of Maria, having received flowers, posted on Instagram: instagram.com/p/BB45q2po-p7/?tagged=mariamena. And here is Maria's Instagram post about having received the award: instagram.com/p/BB5AGXBxeJu/?taken-by=mariamena_official.

Here is an article in Norwegian about Maria having band practices at Øvingshotellet: ovingshotellet.no/manedens-over-maria-mena/. Øvingshotellet seems to interview a new artist or band every month. I'll start translating this piece tomorrow.

Translation:

Maria Mena is at Øvingshotellet to practice because of the first round of her tour, after the release of her seventh album Growing Pains. Her band and herself are practicing a little extra for a very special concert in the Oslo Opera House on March 13th.

About the breakthrough as an artist: When did you have that “Yes – now it happens-moment”?

- I probably am still waiting for that moment. I’m bad at seeing what others possibly see. But what makes me go through my emotions a little extra at this point is that my audience has a loyalty that I haven’t been very much aware of before. They support my concerts more than ever. It is also the kind of career that I have always wanted, a steady live career.

How do you work with new material before your concerts?

- Every record that I make has a sound that most often is a little different from the previous record. The first practices are to get to know new songs (given that I haven’t sung these songs that many times I really need to practice with my band). So we schedule two or three creative practices, where we make new arrangements for old songs so that they fit better with the new sound. It is very important that the band also get to have a say in the decisions when we make new arrangements. After all we will be on the stage together. And then, after that, we do the pre-production of our full set and cram. The goal is not to feel nervous on the first show. It is supposed to be smooth.

Do you have any advice to those who want a career as a musician/artist?

These days everything is supposed to happen so quickly. We have no patience. It is supposed to be big and it shall happen now! The record companies don’t put as much work into artist development as they used to do before, and there are way too young people who sign up for TV concepts they don’t know the extent of or which effects they have on their mental health when they are shot out to the spotlight. Still it is important to remember that it is exactly the time consuming process that is most important. That it is supposed to take some time. That you SHALL wonder whether you have done what is needed, and change your mind frequently. That you are going to meet the wrong people to learn who are the right people for you to work with. Play bad concerts in small towns. Build up a small audience and after some time an even bigger dream to have this as your job because of all the hard work you put in. This experience is best to have outside the media’s spotlight, and outside of a concept that you have no control over. It is important to reflect on: What is success to you? Is it to be working with music that makes you happy or is it the thought of being a celebrity? Very few people get to work with music on a very big level, but that doesn’t at all mean that it isn’t worth it and that you shouldn’t dream about it. But ask yourself WHAT you dream of. I always try to tell myself that if I were to lose everything, writing songs would still give me the world’s loveliest feeling of happiness. Even though I am the only one who gets to hear them.
What are your opinions about Øvingshotellet? When do you use it?

- The hotel [Øvingshotellet is translated to the practice hotel, more or less directly] is absolutely super. We use it for our creative practices. When we move on to full production we move to a concert venue. I also use the hotel for singing lessons.